Confucius Temple and free entry parks open in Hangzhou

On September 28 the renovation and protection project of Jiuxi Creek (九溪) in West Lake Scenic Area will complete. The opening ceremony will be held. The day is the birthday of Confucius, so a memorial ceremony for the great ancient Chinese thinker will also be celebrated. The celebration is to mark the completion of rebuilding of the Confucius Temple in Hangzhou, to which this project has been a part of this year's West Lake comprehensive protection work, other are done include the repair works on Yangmeiling Mountain (杨梅岭) at Jiuxi, Relic Site of Southern Yuhuang Mountain (玉皇山) (first phrase), three monumental signs for Ten Great Scenic Spots of West Lake and upgrading the night scenic lighting along the lake etc.

Wang Guoping, Zhejiang Provincial Committee Secretary and Hangzhou Municipal Secretary said Jiuxi's best scene is water, so the renovation project must be emphasized on making the scenery of mountain and water to have an outstanding look, the beautiful sound of water flowing can be clearly heard as well. Meanwhile traffic management should be done properly. The newly renovated Yangmeiling Mountain should become the one and only village on high hill in Hangzhou.

After the renovation, Jiuxi Yanshu Park (九溪烟树公园) and Taiziwan Park (太子湾公园, Prince Bay Park) will be admission free. Now the entry fee to each of these parks is two Yuan per capita.

During a recent meeting by West Lake Scenic Area Management Committee, some members suggested that the entry tickets for Yongfu Temple (永福寺), Taoguang Temple (韬光寺) and Lingyin Temple (灵隐寺) should be sold in bundle for 45 Yuan per capita. Presently the tickets for Yongfu and Taoguang are 10 Yuan respectively, while for Lingyin traveler should pay 35 Yuan. The management committee thinks that the new policy can integrate the tourism resources in Lingyin area to be more concentrate, adding more ingredients during a scenic tour and making the influence of the area to be stronger. Tourists will feel more convenient if they travel around but dealing less procedure in buying entry tickets.

 
New repair projects will be commenced next year and West Lake will apply for UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage. These projects include the renewal of Ten Great Scenic Spots of West Lake and Middle Lake Pavilion, as well as protection work for Longjing Tea Garden and Liuhe (Six-harmony) Pagoda. For the plants in ten scenic spots, it should be a special kind that aptly represents each spot. The Botanical Garden will also be needed to upgrade. In addition to improve water irrigation system and renew traffic network, some sightseeing spots for specific subjects should be built. These projects will be completely done before May 2009.

 
"According to a recent survey, many tourists who traveled to Hangzhou are second or third time visitors. This indicates that Hangzhou attracts returning tourists. So we must provide them with new sightseeing spots and new tour routes." Said Wang Guoping.